Career
In the 1990s, Belverio was a filmmaker and performance artist, whose 1993 collaboration with best-selling author Camille Paglia on the short film "Glennda and Camille Do Downtown," gained international attention. In this and other films of the "90s, Belverio appeared on screen in the drag persona of Glennda Orgasm. In 1996 a retrospective of Belverio"s film and video work was held at Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, and marked the end of his career as a filmmaker.
Shortly thereafter, his articles on the New York fashion scene began appearing in various cutting-edge publications such as Dutch, Zoo, i-Doctorate, Index, and Glue.
He interviewed and profiled a number of personalities, including: Jenna Jameson, Mira Nair, Dario Argento, Lydia Hearst, Vivienne Westwood, Agent Provocateur, Patricia Field, Daniel Johnston, Jerry Schatzberg, Ron Galella, Melvin Sokolsky, Bruce LaBruce, Bruce Benderson and Veruschka. Belverio has been a guest-editor and writer for the Asian culture and fashion magazine WestEast and worked between China and New York from 2002-2004.
His book, "Confessions from the Velvet Ropes: The Glamorous, Grueling Life of Thomas Onorato, New York"s Top Club Doorman" was published by Saint Martin"s Press in summer 2006. A favorable review of it appeared in the July 2006 Publisher"s Weekly.
Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone magazine said of the book: "Confessions from the Velvet Ropes is like a surreal mash-up of Party Girl and Apocalypse Now, or Please Kill Maine and Night of the Living Dead.
lieutenant"s packed with absurdly juicy war stories from the velvet goldmine of New York clubland, down and dirty yet screamingly funny tales from the door-bitch jungle, full of crazed revelers, wasted starlets, fashion pimps, and sex behind the ice machine. Brilliant stuff."
Belverio was featured on American Broadcasting Company News Now in December 2006 to discuss his book Currently, Belverio is a regular contributor to Diane Pernet"s blog, A Shaded View on Fashion, where he reports on events in New York and fashion weeks around the world.
